Between the Moments
by tchelsaetehrock
Summary: Originally "Her Touch", now a collection of one-shots featuring the trio. Rated T for our favorite potty mouth Mugen. Definite Fuugen.
1. Her Touch

_Okay so hello! It's been AGES since I've written anything and published it on here! I recently got into Samurai Champloo, by the incomparable Shinichiro Watanabe, and by "into" I mean "obsessed with". This was an idea for a one-shot that just popped into my head one day, and for once I was actually inspired to write it down. The title is utter crap so please ignore it and just move on to the story itself._

**EDIT: **_There is now lovely fanart inspire by this story by the wonderful **roolph**! Check out her other Samurai Champloo art as well, she's awesome! (this thing won't allow entire URLs so replace the dots and slashes with "." and "/")_

roolph .com(slash)post(slash)89674004157

_Disclaimer: Neither Fuu, nor Mugen, nor Jin or any Samurai Champloo characters are my own, since they belong to Shinichiro Watanabe._

* * *

Her Touch

The logs on the fire shifted and cast sparks into the night as Fuu gazed up at the stars. It was a beautiful and clear night, and the trio had set up camp next to a gently flowing stream a couple hundred yards from the path they had been traveling. Across the fire from her Mugen sat sharpening his sword using Jin's whetstone that he had borrowed – well actually, more like stole temporarily, since he hadn't bothered to ask. The two sat in companionable silence, Jin having wandered off to go meditate a ways down the stream beside a small waterfall.

A small noise interrupted Fuu's contemplation of the night sky. She turned her head towards Mugen as he blew air upwards from his mouth to shift a lock of hair that had fallen in his eyes, only to have the same lock fall right back to where it was. She watched as he paused in his task to run a hand through his hair to pull it back from his face, but the bushy mass on his head wouldn't cooperate. She hadn't really paid attention to how long his hair had gotten recently – this was probably the longest she'd ever seen it.

"What are you gawkin' at?" he asked suddenly as he went back to sharpening his blade, his eyes down and focused on the task. She smirked.

"Just wondering if you look more like a ruthless thug with your hair longer or shorter," she said. "Because it's pretty shaggy now."

The whetstone continued to glide across the metal blade with a gentle _shink_ as he shrugged.

"Haven't had time to cut it," he said. She watched him for a moment, then decided offering wouldn't hurt.

"I could cut it for you if you'd like," she said noncommittally, shrugging one shoulder.

"Why the hell would you wanna do that?" he set down the whetstone and grabbed a cloth to begin polishing his sword, still not meeting her gaze as he focused on his hands. She didn't want to admit she'd always had a curious fascination with his hair, and figured this was a chance to fulfil her secret wish of touching it and running her fingers through it. She frowned at his tone.

"Geez, you don't have to get all snippy about it," she huffed. "It's not like I don't know what I'm doing, I've been cutting my own hair for a while."

Mugen's eyes met hers as he gave her his trademark just-to-piss-you-off smirk. "Believe me, I can tell," he said. "What with your bangs always being uneven, makes you look like a dumbass."

Fuu puffed her cheeks out in irritation as she crossed her arms. "If you must know my bangs are uneven because I _like_ them that way!" she said, indignantly. "It's a hair style!"

"Whatever," he rebuffed her, turning his gaze back to the gleaming metal of his sword. His hair fell in his eyes again and he grunted in frustration, glaring at the offending lock. Fuu giggled at the sight because it only made him look silly with his glare being crosseyed. His eyes refocused on her and glared at her instead. She pursed her lips to stifle another giggle but couldn't contain the small smile on her face. Mugen grunted again, discarding the polishing cloth and sliding his sword back into its sheath. He whipped the hidden tanto out of the other end and held the handle out to her as he scowled at her from across the fire.

Fuu was genuinely surprised he was willing to let her near his head with a blade, and one she suspected was rather a lot sharper than her own tanto. A thrill went through her, though, at the prospect of getting to fulfill her wish. She stood and walked around the fire to kneel next to him, grabbing her blanket as she went. The scowl didn't leave Mugen's face as she took the knife from him. She threw her blanket around his shoulders.

"What the hell is this for?" he asked, one eyebrow raising. She rolled her eyes.

"So you don't get little bits of hair stuck in your clothes," she replied. For once he said nothing, but slouched to settle his chin in his hand just as she was raising the knife to start cutting. Fuu tugged back on his shoulder to force him to sit up straight, and he whipped his head around to glare at her.

"Don't slouch!" she scolded. "That just makes it harder for me to get down by your neck." She grabbed the top of his head and forcibly turned it so he was facing forward again. He swatted her hand away.

"Stop pushing me around, you dumb broad!" he said, extremely irritated. Her grip on the tanto tightened, and Fuu poked his head in annoyance with her free hand.

"Well I wouldn't have to if you'd just sit still and let me get on with it!" she said, just as heated.

"Whatever," Mugen huffed. "Just don't go crazy, alright? I don't want you fucking up by cutting it too short in one spot and end up having to shave my whole head. Fish-face would never let me hear the end of it." She chuckled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"I promise I won't. Have some faith in me, will ya?" she joked. The scowl on Mugen's face lessened until it was just a downturn of his lips.

He tilted his head forward as she grabbed a chunk of hair at the base of his neck and began sawing away, gradually making her way up the back of his head. When she finished with that section she made him shift his whole body so she could get better light from the fire to do the sides of his head. He grunted in annoyance but did as she asked. When she had finished the sides she scooted around so they were face to face and started on his bangs. Mugen found it hard to look anywhere but at her slender neck and her chest, and certain thoughts came unbidden to his mind which he tried to push away. She was too focused on the task at hand to notice his staring, her bottom lip between her teeth as she concentrated. Mugen had just shifted his gaze to her lips when she sat back suddenly and smiled at her handiwork, setting the tanto knife on the ground beside her.

"There, that looks about right!" she said cheerfully, silently congratulating herself on a job well done. Before Mugen could shift to stand up, though, she had scooted herself around to the back of him and began running her fingers through his hair, gently rubbing his scalp as she did so. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing, but she beat him to it.

"Don't get your hakama in a twist, I'm making sure all the snipped off bits are out of your hair," she explained, and continued to run her slender fingers through his dark hair. She was surprised how soft it was, and was grateful that he had actually washed it when they had stayed at an inn two nights previous. She couldn't see his face, but Mugen's eyes slowly shut as he tried not to enjoy the feel of her hands in his hair. Her touch sent a slight shiver down his spine.

Fuu quirked a brow, noticing the tremble that went through her bodyguard. An idea presented itself to her, and she grinned wickedly at the back of Mugen's head. Very gently, she put her fingertips at his hairline at his temple and brought them down to softly scratch behind his ears. Mugen caught himself before a contented groan escaped his throat, but didn't make any move to stop her. Fuu pouted, expecting him to react. She brought her fingers again to his temple, and began rubbing small circles as her fingers slowly slid back through his thick hair. The ever-present dent between his eyebrows softened, but still no noise escaped his mouth to show his contentment.

Fuu frowned at the back of Mugen's bushy head, frustrated that she hadn't gotten another reaction out of him yet. Deciding to give it one last shot, she placed her fingers at the base of his hairline on his neck and put harder pressure on them as she dragged them up into his hair, spreading her fingers as she went. A deep hum of pleasure escaped Mugen's lips before he could catch himself, and his eyes snapped open to glare at the fire. Fuu grinned triumphantly to herself, but put on an innocent face when Mugen peeked over his shoulder to turn his glare on her.

"What?" she asked, her brown eyes shining with innocence.

"What kinda game you tryin' to play with me, girlie?" he snapped.

"What makes you think I'm trying to play a game with you?" she asked, still feigning ignorance. His frown deepened.

"You sure were rubbin' my head for a lot longer than you needed to," he said, turning to sit cross-legged in front of her and leaning forward so he could get in her face. She returned his frown.

"Well I didn't hear _you_ complaining, now did I?" she retorted, not backing down from his intimidation tactics. For once, her comeback seemed to have shut him up. His lower lip jut out in a pout as his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He hated to admit it even to himself, but the feel of her slender fingers running through his hair had left a slight tingling in his chest and…_other_ areas.

"Hmph," he grumbled, and turned his back to her to face the fire again, throwing her blanket from his shoulders to the ground. He grabbed his tanto from where she had set it down and quickly slid it into its hidden sheath. Fuu sighed, scooped up her blanket, and stood to return to her sleeping mat across the fire, shaking out the trimmed hair as she went.

"_Gee, Fuu, thanks for cutting my hair, now people won't confuse me for Jin with his hair down_," she mumbled to herself as she sat on her mat and made herself comfortable. She lay back, her hands folded on her stomach as she returned to stargazing.

Across the fire, Mugen ran his hand through his mop of dark hair, relieved to have it back to the shorter length. The tips of his hair felt softer than when he cut it himself, not as rough. Sparing a glance at Fuu, who ignored him, he stood and made his way to the water to catch his reflection in what little light the stars and crescent moon provided. He turned his head this way and that, and grudgingly acknowledged that she had done a pretty good job. Certainly neater than he would have done.

He returned to his mat by the fire, and lay back with his hands behind his head. He yawned loudly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Fuu catch his yawn and put up a hand to cover her gaping mouth. He brought his forearm up to cover his eyes.

"Good night," a voice said softly across the fire. He peeked out from under his arm to see Fuu on her side, with her back to the fire. He grunted in response, and covered his eyes again before drifting off to sleep, dreaming of slender fingers in his hair.

* * *

_Was it decent? Sucked? Let me know!_


	2. Sunburn

_I guess I'm gonna make this a series of one-shots now?_

_So I originally had a different opening to this, but it was lost along with my original hard drive when I sent in my computer for repairs because I'm an idiot who didn't back up her data beforehand. FML. At least I handwrote most of the rest of it so it wasn't a complete loss._

_Inspired by **roolph's** cute sketch: tumbl r_.com (slash) post (slash) 88645327032__

_Jin's enigmatic quote is by Martha Graham, which I guess fits with the anachronistic sense of the show. _

_I don't own Samurai Champloo. If I did there would have been at least 2 more seasons, just sayin'._

* * *

Sunburn

The sun shone brilliantly in the pale blue sky, and the ocean waves lapped against the shore. Even with the cool wind blowing off the water and swirling around the cliff face looming above the small cove, it promised to be a very warm day.

Fuu closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun and sighed contentedly. Behind her, Jin stood as stoic as ever, with Mugen next to him, his hands behind his head and a blade of grass between his teeth.

They had stumbled upon this natural cove when Fuu had nearly tumbled over the cliff while looking for a spot in the forest to relieve herself. The trio found a narrow path winding down the cliff face and now stood on the sandy shore. Fuu breathed in the balmy air.

"We should camp here for the night!" she said brightly. She kicked off her zori and dug her toes in the sand.

"What? It's barely even midday!" Mugen said behind her, spitting the blade out the blade of grass. Fuu turned to face him and put her hands on her hips.

"We've been walking for three days straight, and I don't know about you guys but I'm exhausted!" She slumped her shoulders for effect. Mugen smirked and stretched his arms above his head.

"That's just because you're a weak little bitch."

Fuu opened her mouth to respond, but Jin broke his silence.

"The nearest village is another day's walk, but the only road passes over a small mountain." He folded his arms in his sleeves. "I agree with Fuu. We should stay here to rest and regain our strength."

Fuu smiled smugly at Mugen. "See? Two against one! You've been outnumbered." She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "Think of it as a mini vacation!" Mugen shrugged.

"Whatever," he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. Jin nodded, and Fuu beamed and clapped her hands together.

"Awesome! Okay, I'm going to go get some firewood and Mugen, you can fish for our lunch-"

"I wish to be the one to fish," Jin interrupted. Fuu paused in designating setting up camp, and she and Mugen turned to glance at the stoic samurai in disbelief. Mugen quirked a jagged brow.

"Uh, no offense, Four-Eyes, but you pretty much suck ass at fishing," he said. Fuu glared at him, and punched his shoulder, but Mugen ignored her.

Jin's eyes fixed on a rock jutting above the water, just wide enough to sit on, a few yards from the shoreline. The perfect spot to cast a line.

"Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired," he said enigmatically. His eyes flashed to his two companions, and there was a look of steely determination in them that brooked no argument. Mugen and Fuu exchanged a look laced with doubt.

"Um, alright. I guess we'll leave you to it," said Fuu. "Me and Mugen will go get firewood, and maybe see if there are any berries or nuts to pick, too."

Jin nodded in acknowledgement, and Fuu grabbed Mugen's sleeve, tugging him back towards the path going up the cliff. He shrugged out of her grip and looked down at her, a frown on his rugged face.

"You do realize that by letting Four-Eyes do the fishing we probably won't get to eat today," he commented. Fuu's lips curled up in a half smile, and she shrugged. She checked to see if Jin was completely out of earshot before leaning over to whisper in Mugen's ear.

"Maybe some of these saltwater fish will take pity on him and sacrifice themselves. Or maybe they'll be dumber than freshwater fish and he'll actually be able to outwit them." She giggled at her own joke at the expense of her friend, and Mugen smirked.

"But maybe we should nab a squirrel or something," she added. "Just in case."

Thirty minutes later they had a rim of stones set in the sand, and a neat pile of logs ready to be set ablaze to cook Jin's promised catch. Jin was perched on his rock with his line in the water, Fuu was knee deep in the cool waves with her kimono hiked up, and Mugen rested against a driftwood log, his head tilted back and eyes closed. The sun continued its way across the sky, and the heat increased just enough to be uncomfortable. Soon, the two body guards and the young woman were sweating through their clothes.

Fuu tugged her kimono where it rested against her collarbone. Even with the water cooling her legs, the sun still beat down on her head and shoulders mercilessly. She sighed and made her way back to the fire pit, her wet feet gathering sand as she went. She plopped down next to Mugen with a huff.

"Geez, I didn't think it's be _this_ hot today," she said, trying and failing to tie back her sleeves so her arms could get some air.

"You think this is hot?" the young man beside her asked. He lifted his head to look at her. "Compared to where I'm from this is practically normal." He leaned back and closed his eyes again.

Fuu was surprised to hear him mention his past so casually, especially after the incident with Koza and Mukuro where they betrayed him and he very nearly drowned. Life in the Ryukyus was a taboo subject even by normal standards, so Fuu wasn't sure how to reply without bringing to mind painful memories, both Mugen's and hers. Instead, she let her gaze wander over to Jin perched on his rock, and noticed he had removed his dark blue kimono due to the heat, and the pale skin of his back shone like a beacon. Fuu blushed and averted her eyes, embarrassed that she had been staring, and even more surprised that Jin had abandoned modesty.

Mugen opened his eyes to peek at the unusually silent girl next to him, and noticed the pink tinge to her cheeks. He reached out a tan finger to poke the soft flesh below her eye.

"Finally getting' some sun there, girlie?" he teased. She swatted his hand away and frowned at him. Lucky for her Mugen hadn't noticed Jin shirtless and made the connection between that and her embarrassed blush. Otherwise he would have made her life hell with the inevitable teasing.

Seeing he wasn't getting a rise out of her, Mugen gave up and looked out to sea, finally noticing Jin's bare back. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

"Looks like Four-Eyes has got the right idea!" he said, sitting up to shrug out of his red haori and gray stitched shirt. Fuu's eyes bugged out of their sockets as she tried to scoot away from the pirate on her butt.

"W-What are you doing?" she squeaked as Mugen's tanned torso became visible. He draped the garments over the log and resumed his previous sitting position.

"It's hot! What else do you expect me to do?" he huffed, running his fingers through the sweat soaked hair at his temples. Her eyes briefly lighted on his toned chest before she shook her head and averted her eyes with her hand.

"To at least maintain some decency! This isn't a brothel, you know!" she said vehemently. Mugen scoffed.

"It's not like there's anyone around to see us, for fuck's sake," he grumbled, settling against the log and stretching out his arms along the length of it. Fuu pouted, but her eyes kept glancing back at the rather delicious sight of Mugen's lithe upper body exposed to the sun. By now she was sweating profusely in her kimono, and not all of it was due to the sun. She tugged on her collar again.

"Just take your friggin' kimono off if you're so damn hot!" Mugen said, annoyed. "It's not like it's nothing we haven't seen already!" Fuu gawped at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She instinctively brought her hands to her chest and angled her body away from him. Mugen smirked and gestured towards her chest.

"When you were the dice roller in that gamble between the two yakuza gangs a while back. You were practically naked from the waist up." His smirk stretched into a full-on wicked grin. "And let me tell you, those bindings don't really cover that much, do they?"

By now Fuu's face was bright red, and she ground her teeth.

"I had _one sleeve_ off my shoulder! I had to improvise and play the part or they probably would've killed me!"

Mugen chuckled. "Eh, you're prob'ly right. Still no idea how you ended up there in the first place."

Fuu sighed. "Me neither, to be honest. Maybe it was fate."

Mugen said nothing, and looked over to Jin's perched figure. He hadn't moved at all since disrobing.

_Looks like fish for lunch is a no-go_, he thought, and he stood to slip his geta on his feet and pull his gray shirt on over his head. Fuu looked his way, curious.

"Where are you going?" she asked. He jerked a thumb towards the path leading up the cliff.

"Four-Eyes isn't doing his job, so I'm gonna nab us a rabbit or two to tide us over," he replied. Fuu watched him as he climbed the path and disappeared into the shade of the trees. She turned her gaze back to her pale companion on his rock, still as a statue. One corner of her mouth quirked up as she silently pitied the poor man.

_I admire his determination, but even samurai must know when they're fighting a losing battle_, she thought, chuckling. A breeze blew off the water, cooling her neck and face, but the heat was still uncomfortable. Fuu pursed her lips and checked to make sure Mugen wasn't returning yet. Jin's back was to her, so she shrugged off her sleeves and let the top half of her kimono hang down, held up by her obi.

_Thank goodness I thought to wear bindings today_, she thought, sighing as the cool ocean wind caressed her newly exposed skin. She looked over and saw Mugen's discarded red haori draped over the driftwood log, and an idea popped in her head. She reached over to grab it, then stood to move a few feet away from the log to an open patch of sand. She spread out the haori and lowered herself to lay on her stomach, her head pillowed by her arms. Her face was angled towards the water, and she watched as some seagulls soared above the waves a few dozen feet out to sea. The sun beat relentlessly down on her back, but she didn't mind now that she wasn't being stifled by her kimono. Her eyes began to droop, and before long the heat on her back and the sound of the waves lulled her to sleep.

A light kick to her ribs woke Fuu, and she opened her eyes to find herself on her back, having rolled off the red haori and now on the bare sand. The sun was not quite overhead anymore. A smirking Mugen stood above her with his arms crossed. He nudged her again, to her irritation.

"Wake up, or I'm gonna eat your rabbit," he said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a fire blazing with several sticks skewered with meat propped up around it.

"No fish?" she asked, blinking up at the pirate, who looked like he was trying to contain the laughter in his eyes.

"Four-Eyes is completely hopeless. He's been sitting on that rock for over 2 hours and hasn't had a nibble." Mugen sniggered before reaching down to grab his haori and moving to seat himself by the fire. He picked up one of the blackened skewers and bit into it, but the smile never left his face. Fuu wondered what he was so amused about, but her stomach growled as the smell wafted over to her. She tried to sit up, but a painful pulling sensation on her skin made her gasp softly. She looked down and saw the red skin of her chest above her bindings, and quickly moved to cover herself with her kimono. The skin of her arms and shoulders protested, though, and she groaned as she stopped with one sleeve halfway on. The redness was spread across her chest, neck and shoulders, and any time she moved her skin would pull tightly and painfully.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, _owww_," she groaned, still struggling to pull on her sleeves. Mugen's chuckle made her whip her head around to glare at him, but the pain of moving the skin on her neck made her wince.

"What the hell are _you _laughing at?" she demanded. Mugen's mouth morphed into a cocky grin that made her want to throttle him.

"Looks like you got a little _too_ much sun, girlie," he chuckled. She pouted, but even doing _that_ made her face ache.

"You could've woken me up earlier, you know!" she said, giving up on pulling on her kimono and resigning herself to Mugen's inevitable teasing about the size of her chest.

"Yeah, I _could _have." Mugen grinned wickedly. She flipped him the bird, but he ignored her, turning his attention back to his skewer. A shadow fell across her, and she turned to see Jin standing behind her, and she bit back a groan from the pain of moving. The normally pale skin of his face, back, and shoulders was now tinged red like hers, and the reserved expression he usually wore was noticeably dejected. Mugen looked up from eating and nearly choked on the meat when he saw Jin. He swallowed quickly before bursting out laughing, slapping his knee with his free hand. Fuu ignored him and smiled pityingly up at Jin.

"Sorry you didn't catch any fish, Jin," she said sincerely, as Mugen cackled in the background. Jin's eyebrow twitched as he sighed.

"I've accepted that I do not have the skills to be a fisherman," he said, moving around her to make his way to the fire. She noticed how he winced when he moved, and she could honestly sympathize with him at that moment. Fuu stood and followed him to the fire, every movement of her arms and shoulders making her wince. She settled down next to Jin, and across the fire Mugen was still struggling to control his mirth. Both Jin and Fuu fixed him with a piercing glare, but this only made Mugen laugh harder.

"How come _you _aren't as red as us right now?" Fuu demanded, extremely annoyed. Mugen wiped away a tear as his laughter subsided, which made Fuu's lip curl in irritation.

"Because I'm not some pansy ass delicate little flower like you two," he said, chuckling as he bit into the meat of his skewer. Fuu huffed but said nothing as she and Jin reached for their own skewers, and both tried not to move too much while eating. When they were finally done, and Mugen had calmed down enough to finish his own meat, they tossed their empty skewers into the fire. Mugen laid down on his side with his hand propping up his head and scratched his stomach. Jin and Fuu, however, couldn't move too much without it being painful. Fuu groaned as she tried once again to pull on her kimono.

"Why does it hurt so much to move?" she complained. Mugen _tched_ as he dug in his ear with his pinky finger.

"Just wait 'til tomorrow, then you'll _really _feel it. With a sunburn like that you're gonna feel that ache for a couple days," he said. Jin quirked a brow.

"Sunburn?" he asked, as though testing out the word in his mouth. Mugen frowned at him.

"Don't tell me you guys have never gotten a sunburn before?" he asked, sitting up and pointing back and forth between Fuu and Jin. The two in question frowned and shook their heads in unison. Mugen barked out a laugh and slapped his knee again.

"Oh, _man_, this is too fuckin' priceless!" he said gleefully. "Looks like the Ryukyus got one up on you sorry bitches!"

* * *

_I originally wanted this to be a short one-shot, but I'm probably gonna have to continue this with a part two. We'll see :)_


	3. Lullaby

_Stupid Author's Note:_

_I was always fascinated by the fact that Mugen recognized the song that Okuru, an Ainu man, was playing in the Lullabies of the Lost arc. Combined with the fact that _Obokuri-eeumi_ that plays during his drowning scene is an Amami folk song (according to the description in a Youtube video of it) makes me wonder if Mugen would have learned a version of the song growing up. Regardless, it's an incredibly beautiful song that makes my heart ache when I listen to it. If Mugen seems terribly OOC in this, I'm making the excuse that becoming a father probably caused some changes in him. Plus, I think we can all agree that if he and Fuu had a daughter that she would be Daddy's little princess and have him wrapped around her finger. Daddy!Mugen gives me feels, alright?_

_Also, I know songfics are terribly clichéd, but DAMMIT THIS SONG IS BEAUTIFUL AND DESERVES A FIC._

_I don't own Samurai Champloo *sighs wistfully*_

* * *

Lullaby

The cry of his baby girl wakes Mugen from a fitful dream. The memory of the moonlight dancing on the water above him and the muted sound of his own heartbeat in his ears as he sank deeper fades, and he cracks his eyes open to the sight of Fuu curled up next to him. The dent between her eyebrows and the shadows under her eyes speak of many nights of being woken by their daughter, and lack of sleep means a very cranky Fuu in the morning. She stirs at the sound of another cry from the small cot in the corner, but Mugen brushes the hair from her face and presses his lips to her forehead.

"I'll get her," he mumbles, and Fuu's tense expression softens as she hums and buries her face in the pillow. She never even opens her eyes, and soon she is asleep again.

Mugen pulls himself out of the warmth of their futon and shuffles the short distance to their daughter's cot.

"What's all the fuss, little girlie? Huh?" he says softly, his voice deep from sleep. Her little legs kick at her blanket, and her little face is scrunched up in a cry. Mugen wraps her in her blanket and tucks her into the crook of his arm. He rocks back and forth gently, bringing up a hand to let her grasp a finger. She quiets, but is still whimpering softly as he bounces her lightly.

"Listen, if you don't go to sleep soon your mom's gonna wake up, then both her _and_ me are gonna be tired and cranky in the morning, which won't be good for anybody," he says, bringing his daughter up closer to his face. Her stormy gray eyes – _his _eyes – and her little button nose – _Fuu's_ nose – are still scrunched up in a whimper.

Mugen huffs softly, and presses his lips to her small forehead before shifting her to his shoulder, her little face towards his neck. He holds her up by her bottom and rubs her back, but she continues to sniffle and cry into his neck. He sighs, trying to remember any of the other methods Fuu uses to get their daughter to go to sleep after fussing. The only one he hasn't tried makes him groan inwardly at the thought of doing it, but Fuu always says it's her "ace in the hole" when trying to get their daughter to sleep – a term she had borrowed from him.

Mugen begins humming, something noncommittal that doesn't really have any tune, but soon after he starts his baby girl's sniffling quiets. Surprised, he pulls her away from his shoulder to find her eyes open and focused on him. She stuffs her small fist in her mouth, and reaches out her free hand towards his face. Her little brows draw together, reminding Mugen of her mother when Fuu is frustrated with him, and she whines softly. Mugen quirks a jagged brow, but when he doesn't automatically start humming again her whine becomes louder and fussier. He quickly tucks her against his shoulder again, trying to hush her.

"If you think you're gonna get me to sing you to sleep, little girilie, you got another thing comin'," he murmurs. He continues pat her back and rock her gently, but she refuses to quiet down, her little fists clenched against his collarbone. Mugen sighs, knowing that his daughter already has him wrapped around her finger, before she can even walk.

"Fine, you little brat, I'll sing you a damn song," he grumbles, racking his brain for any songs he knew, which honestly isn't that many. Growing up in the Ryukyus hadn't exposed him to much music, aside from little songs Koza used to make up when they were children.

Suddenly, he remembers a woman musician who had been brought to Ryukyus for murdering her husband, and had ended up on the small island where he had been born. He remembers her singing voice was very unique, almost _raw_, and no matter what song she was singing she always managed to make the song sound beautifully tragic. There was only song of hers that had ever been ingrained in his mind.

He knows his voice is nowhere near perfect, and he figures he's probably tone deaf, but nevertheless he opens his mouth and begins to sing to the little girl in his arms.

"_In search of new lands, I build a new house…_"

Memories surface unbidden. He and Fuu coming upon a small abandoned house near the ocean, and Fuu claiming this was to be there new home.

"_I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles,_

_I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles…_"

Refurbishing the house over the next few weeks, Fuu puts aside any money she could so they could make this shitty rundown heap into a home. He chops down trees and strips wood to replace the rotten-through walls, while Fuu watches and makes new shoji screens.

"_At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites. _

_At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites. _

_Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites…"_

Finally, they finish and stand admiring their hard work. Fuu twining their fingers together and leading him inside, a suggestive smile on her face. He smirks and tightens his hold on her fingers as they enter their new bedroom.

"_The eighth month is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear _

_I want to dress gaily, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve?..._"

Three months later and they know Fuu is pregnant. She's overjoyed, but all he feels at the time is overwhelming panic. When they tell Jin and Shino, who live close by and have two little ones of their own, Mugen discreetly takes Jin aside and bombards him with questions about the coming months. The small smile on Jin's face irritates Mugen to no end.

"_I wish to dress my children and loved ones… in the one kimono that I own _

_As for me, I will wear vines… that I plucked deep in the mountains…"_

Fuu gives birth in that house they remade and claimed as their own. The midwife tries to get Mugen to wait outside, but the look he gives her will haunt her dreams for the next couple weeks. After, Fuu lies reclined against a pile of pillows, sweaty and exhausted with their daughter at her breast. Mugen drapes his red haori over her shoulders, the garment large enough that it engulfs their daughter as well. Fuu looks up at him and smiles, and he thinks his heart couldn't be fuller than it is at that moment.

"_The light of the full moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light _

_When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little…"_

Sometimes the memory of sinking deeper into the cold dark waters is overwhelming enough that he jerks awake in a cold sweat. On these nights, Fuu folds him into her embrace and he buries his face in her neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He loves how she's filled out since having the baby, because now there is more of her to anchor him to this world.

Only, on this night, his baby girl is the one who saves him from his dreams.

Mugen's voice drifts off, and he shifts the little girl in his arms to look at her face, and sees his daughter fast asleep. A smirk appears on his tan face.

"You must be tone deaf, kid, if me singing gets you to sleep," he says softly. Gently, he lifts her and set her back in her cot, tucking the blanket up around her little torso. He watches the steady rise and fall of her chest for a moment before turning to shuffle back to the futon. He lifts the sheet and slithers in next to Fuu, who hasn't moved a muscle. He slides closer and drapes an arm over her waist, cocooning himself around her warmth and closing his eyes.

"That was a pretty song…" her sleepy voice reaches his ears, and his eyes snap open. He glances down to see her blinking up at him, a small smile on her face. Mugen smirks and pulled her closer, tucking her under his chin.

"Don't expect a serenade anytime soon," he mumbles, closing his eyes again. Fuu yawns and buries her face in his chest.

"Hmm, no, but…teach me…song…?" her voice fades as she drifts off to sleep again. Mugen breathes in the scent of her hair.

"Sure, whatever you want, girlie."


	4. Dumplings Part 1

_Because the issue of the dumplings was never resolved, and I'm terrible shipper trash._

_This ended up being so long that I had to split it into three parts because I can't resist making things complicated, apparently._

_Also I wasn't lazy and actually did research on regional foods of the Kyushu region where Ikitsuki island is, since I'm assuming they parted ways at the end of the anime somewhere around there. Tsuke-age are basically fish cakes.__Writing this made me hungry._

_Also, I'm assuming Fuu is 16 when they end their journey in the show, otherwise my math concerning the number of dumplings consumed wouldn't work if she was still 15._

_Shout-out to roolph on for being my beta for these! She's a fantastic artist, go check out her stuff!_

_As always, I don't own the thing_

* * *

**_Dumplings_**

"Yo."

The innocuous greeting burst through the bubble of calm in Fuu's mind, making her almost spit out her tea. She wiped her mouth as she turned to the door, a familiar silhouette outlined by the dying rays of the sun. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"_Mugen?_"

She watched her ex-bodyguard, clad in a new red haori with a European sword across his back, stride across the teahouse to sit across from her. She was too busy being surprised to stop him from taking some of her tsuke-age and popping them into his mouth, like it was old times.

Well, the old times weren't really _old_ yet, but in the three days she'd been traveling by herself after they went their separate ways, the memories of the past year were already solidifying in Fuu's mind as 'the good ol' days'.

If by 'good' you meant 'terrifying, exciting, awful, wonderful', and by 'old' you meant 'I would do it all over again if it meant more time with those idiots', then yes, they were the _good ol' days_.

Except one of those idiots was in front of her, eating her food and demanding sake from a passing waitress, when he should have been a good long way away by now, following his own path. Not one that she had haphazardly cut across half of Japan based on nothing but hope and luck.

That didn't change the fact that she was still glad to see him. She pulled her plate closer to her to stop him from taking the rest of her food, slapping his hand away.

"Mugen, what are you _doing_ here?" she asked. The ex-pirate smirked.

"Got nothin' better to do," he said, one shoulder shrugging. "Thought I'd see how long it took to track you down. You know, you move pretty slow when you're by yourself." Fuu rolled her eyes.

"Well, now that I don't really have anywhere to go I'm not in such a hurry," she said, then polished off the rest of her fish cakes. Mugen's smirk grew wider, and he took a gulp of sake.

"But seriously, how did you find me?" she asked, genuinely curious. Mugen's grey eyes met her deep brown ones, and he shrugged with both shoulders this time.

"Took a shortcut to get on the road you were taking, then asked if any flat-chested girls wearing pink had wandered by," he said, gulping down another cup of sake. Fuu knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her – the smirking asshole – but she had to restrain herself from reaching over and smacking him upside the head. She rolled her eyes again instead.

"Haha, yes, very funny, we all know I'm flat as a board," she said, voice dripping sarcasm before sipping her tea. Mugen waggled an eyebrow before setting down his cup and sat back, putting his hands on the floor and turning his head to look at a group of rather buxom young woman a few tables away. His smirk morphed into a full on leer. Fuu sighed and thought, _I guess some things will never change_.

She looked down at her reflection in her cup of tea, and her eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Mugen."

"What?" She looked up at his sharp profile.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Fuu threw her hands in the air in the universal gesture of exasperation.

"Dammit, Mugen, you know 'why what'!" she said. The leer left his face suddenly, leaving behind a carefully blank expression. He turned his head to face her, but his eyes fell on his sake cup.

"Like I said." He paused, filling up the cup with his preferred drink. His eyes met hers again, and something she saw made her throat tighten. "Got nothin' better to do," he finished, his tone soft and – maybe she was mistaken – a little sad?

Oh. So. He had missed her.

Fuu blinked, and the moment passed. She noticed a light flush in his cheeks, probably from the sake. When had he eaten last? Fuu's lips drew together in a line, and she made a decision.

Fuu flagged down a passing waitress.

"Three more orders of tsuke-age, please," she said, smiling at the girl. She looked over at Mugen when he snickered.

"Damn, girlie, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget your stomach is a bottomless pit," he said. She pointed her chopsticks at him and scowled.

"So's yours, you jerk," she said. "But I'm not eating all of it." The three plates were set down on the table just then, and Fuu pulled one towards herself, pushed one towards Mugen, and left the third in the middle.

"See? I get this one, you get that one, and we'll share the third one." She smiled brightly.

She'd only ever seen Mugen surprised when an enemy unexpectedly attacked them, and that was usually an enraged sort of surprise that led to loss of limbs. Knowing that there was no imminent threat to their lives made the expression on his normally fierce face hilarious to Fuu. She stifled a giggle behind her sleeve. Mugen blinked.

"Since when do you share food?" he asked, incredulous. He reached over and grabbed her cheeks, squishing them around and making her lips pout like a fish. "What have you done with the real Fuu?"

Fuu growled and shoved his hands away. Mugen fell back on to his cushion with a _thump_.

"A girl can't do something nice for her ex-bodyguard?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest and frowning. He dug in his ear with his pinky.

"Maybe normal girls do, but you're kind of a freak," he said, flicking away the earwax. Fuu's nose crinkled in disgust.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said before digging into her food. Mugen picked up his chopsticks and followed her lead, shoving so much food in his mouth that he could hardly swallow.

They ate in silence – an unusual occurrence considering Jin wasn't there to keep the peace like he normally would. Soon all that was left was the plate between them, piled high with the fish cakes.

Fuu divided the remaining cakes between them, but, unfortunately, they'd been given an odd number of cakes. The solitary tsuke-age sat on the plate between them.

They looked at each other, smirked in unison, and chopsticks clashed. The struggle lasted only a few seconds before Fuu's free hand snatched the cake and popped it in her mouth. She chewed with satisfaction as Mugen scowled fiercely.

"You bitch! You fucking cheated!" His fist thumped the table, knocking over her empty tea cup. Fuu swallowed and grinned at him.

"Since when do you ever play fair?" she asked, one eyebrow raised in defiance. Mugen glared, then began to angrily eat his own tsuke-age.

Fuu was still smiling when she was done eating. She stretched her arms out in front of her, then leaned on the table on her elbows, hand cupping her chin. Mugen threw down his chopsticks and belched loudly, causing several heads to turn.

"I'm still hungry," he said. Fuu rolled her eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"I'm not buying you anymore food," she said. Mugen's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, rubbing his scruffy chin with a tan hand.

"You just reminded me of something, girlie," he said, grin forming on his lips. He pointed a finger at her chest. "Don't you owe me some dumplings? Now how many was it…" His lips pursed as he pretended to think. "Oh yeah! One hundred dumplings is what you owe me, sweet cheeks."

Fuu stiffened in annoyance at the smug look on his face and frowned. She had completely forgotten about her deal with him, made so long ago in the heat of the moment. She'd honestly thought he'd forgotten about it, too.

"What makes you think I owe _you_ anything?" she asked without thinking. "After all the trouble you've caused me over the past year, and you were the one who was always spending all our money…"

Her voice faded when she saw Mugen's face cloud over, smirk replaced with a suddenly darker look. The change surprised Fuu. He looked…hurt.

Fuu swallowed thickly, realizing she'd just blurted out something incredibly stupid. Of _course _she owed him. She owed him a lot. Her life, in fact, several times over, and it was wrong of her to dismiss what he'd done for her like it didn't matter. She looked down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled quickly. "I didn't mean it like that." She looked up at his face, which was once again carefully blank. His fist was clenched tightly on the table, though.

"If that's what you really think then I don't know why I fucking bothered to try and find you again." The hint of controlled anger in his voice worried Fuu more than any of his past angry outburts. He rose to his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to quell the hurt he felt deep in his chest.

Fuu's stomach sank with disappointment, and just a little bit of panic. He couldn't leave now! Not after such a short reunion, which wasn't really a reunion anyway since they hadn't been apart that long. If she let him go now…

The future stretched out in Fuu's mind like a tunnel, a succession of nights spent alone and lonely that she didn't how long would last, or if they would ever end.

She tried to keep the panic from her voice as she said, "Will you stay if I buy you the stupid dumplings?"

He peered down at her for a few moments, then sat down slowly. Fuu almost sighed in relief.

"I ain't leavin' til I get full payment," he said. Fuu nodded, the beginning of an idea taking shape in her head.

"Okay then," she said. She waved over a waitress.

"Five dumplings, please." The waitress looked surprised at how specific the order was.

"Only five?" she asked. Fuu nodded.

"Yes, just five, please," she said, smiling politely. The waitress nodded and went away to fetch the food. Mugen's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why the hell didya only ask for five?" he asked. Fuu directed her smile towards him.

"Because," she said, "that's all you're getting for now." Mugen's jagged eyebrow rose.

"For _now_?"

Fuu nodded, laced her fingers in front of her mouth and kept smiling as the dumplings were placed on the table. Mugen gave her another suspicious look before pulling the plate towards him and shoving the food in his mouth. Fuu caught the sleeve of the waitress before she left and asked for the bill. Mugen polished off the dumplings in almost no time flat, washing it down with some more sake. The waitress brought the bill, and Mugen watched Fuu pay for their food. She stood and brushed crumbs off her kimono.

"Come on," she said, turning to the door. "There's an extra futon in my room at the inn where I'm staying, you can sleep there tonight." Mugen rose, adjusted the sword on his back, and followed Fuu out of the teahouse.

The sun had set behind the trees, and the night was cooler than the inside of the teahouse. Fuu led him past several shops, closed for the night, and towards a larger building down the road that had a few lamps lit on the inside. Mugen raised his arms and put his hands behind his head as he ambled along behind her in the moonlight.

He was still a little rankled by what she'd said earlier. The dumplings had made up for it a little, but some of the anger was still there. Adding to the fact that he'd only gotten _five_ dumplings out of the promised one hundred, he was still pretty pissed.

"So when are you gonna give me the rest of my dumplings, bitch?" he asked.

She suddenly stopped and turned. Mugen stumbled to a halt so he didn't run into her, bringing his arms down to his sides. There was only a few inches between them, and Fuu tilted her head back to look up at him. He could almost feel the heat coming from her in the cool night air, they were standing so close. He frowned down at her upturned face.

"What the hell are you smilin' about?" he demanded. She looked away, her smile fading just a bit.

"I really _am_ sorry," she said, "for what I said earlier." She bit her lip. "I know how much I owe you Mugen, I'm not stupid." She looked up at him when he snorted. She poked him the chest hard.

"Don't be a jerk! I'm trying to give you a sincere apology!" Mugen pulled her finger away before she could poke him again, looking down at her with mild amusement.

"You can cut the apology shit, girlie," he said, "I wasn't even that mad, anyway."

And, miraculously, he _wasn't_ mad anymore. He was back to being mostly amused by how flustered Fuu could get after he got a rise out of her. She blinked, the annoyance that she usually had whenever she was around Mugen sliding off her like water on a duck.

"Oh," she said, "alright, then." The bright smile returned to her face, and the tense moment passed. "And you'll get the rest of your dumplings, don't worry." She patted his chest, then let her hand rest there for a second longer than was probably appropriate before pulling away.

Mugen felt the heat of her hand on his chest, and was a little disappointed when she took it away. Her actions and his own reactions were confusing him. They were skirting around unfamiliar territory, and it was thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

"Well, if I'm not gonna get them soon I'll just stick around until I get all a hundred of 'em," he declared. There was a twinkle in Fuu's eyes as he said it, but it was gone just as quickly.

"If you're gonna stick around you're gonna have to pull your weight, you know," she said matter-of-factly. "I can't pay for everything now that I've got you to worry about."

Mugen snorted. "Don't you worry your little head, we'll be rolling in cash once I train another beetle for wrestling matches." He brought a fist up, smiling triumphantly at the memory of Rodriguez. Fuu rolled her eyes.

They turned as one to head toward the inn. Fuu laced her arm through Mugen's and lightly gripped his bicep. Mugen let his arm hang limp, but didn't pull away.

_5/100_


	5. Dumplings Part 2

_Oh my GOD this one took me way too freakin long to put together. It's actually been completed for a while but I wanted to get further in part 3 before posting it_.

_Don't own the thing_

* * *

Fuu tucked the box closer to her chest and angled the umbrella so the rain wasn't hitting her as much, walking quickly along the muddy road back towards the inn. She'd almost forgotten that today was the day since she hadn't kept a diary since Mugen had learned how to read. She had no doubt that he would sift through it, and she couldn't pull the 'everything was a lie' trick again. Mugen was an idiot, but he wasn't stupid.

A tall figure moved out of the shadows of an alley ahead of her and began walking in the opposite direction she was headed. Fuu's eyes flitted to him as he advanced. The rain made him look blurry around the edges, but she could still see how he walked with an exaggerated nonchalance. She tucked her head down and tried to remain inconspicuous.

Since they had reunited and been traveling together, there had been a significant lack of Fuu being kidnapped. They managed to make their way across Japan without disturbance, though Fuu had noticed the rather vicious looks Mugen had been giving to any man who tried to chat her up. She suspected his ferocity, increased now that Jin wasn't there to balance it out, was keeping away those who wanted to get her.

The man passed her without acknowledging her, and Fuu's shoulders sagged in relief. Suddenly, a hand gripped her arm that wasn't holding the umbrella, and she stopped dead.

"Make any noise," a shaky voice said in her ear, "and you'll be wishing I'd only just mugged ya." She turned and saw the leer on the man's face, which was younger than she'd expected. The hand holding her arm was also slightly sweaty. Fuu quickly deduced that he was inexperienced in this line of work, which would be to her advantage. She would get out of this, hopefully unscathed.

He started pulling her towards the alley from which he'd come.

Two years of Mugen teaching her how to handle a weapon surged through her mind, and her hand automatically swung the only weapon it had. Fuu grunted with the force of the impact of the umbrella with the would-be mugger's head. He cried out in pain and staggered a couple steps back, clutching his nose. Before he could react Fuu swung the umbrella again, the hit sending him tumbling down into the mud. She looked at the broken bits of her umbrella and scowled.

"You broke my umbrella, asshole," she said. Years of being in Mugen's company had not improved her language. She gave him a swift kick in the stomach before turning to hurry towards the inn, trying to tuck the box in her kimono as much as it would go to stay out of the rain.

She stood outside their room for a moment, trying to shake off the excess water. She slipped off her zori before stepping into the room, box and broken umbrella in hand.

Mugen was laying on the floor on his side facing the open window, head propped up on one hand. He turned to look at her as she slid the door closed behind her.

"You look like a drowned rat," he said, sitting up and yawning. He scratched his side. "What's with the umbrella?" Fuu tossed it aside before sitting down in front of him, excited to show him what she brought.

"I'll tell you in a second, but first," she said, grinning at him. "Ta-da!" She opened the box with a flourish and held it out to him. He leaned over and peered at its contents.

"Is that food or roadkill?" he asked, looking up at her and smirking. Fuu frowned and looked inside.

"Dammit!" she said. "That bastard made me mess up the dumplings! And they were so nicely arranged, too." She set the box on the floor and crossed her arms, shoulders sagging with disappointment. Mugen frowned.

"You went out in this rain just to get dumplings?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Today's the day you get your yearly payment of five dumplings." His scarred eyebrow raised in mild surprise.

"Didn't know you had a specific day for buying them for me," he said, laying down again on his side with his head propped up in one hand. He pulled the box towards him and picked out half a smushed dumpling, tossing it in his mouth and chewing. Fuu's mouth turned down at the corners.

"Have you really not noticed that I've bought you dumplings on the same day every year for the past three years?" she asked, a little hurt. He shrugged.

"Nope," he said, picking another bit of dumpling out of the box and eating it. "Can't say I have, girlie."

"Ugh!" She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him with frustration. "I try to do something to make this day important to you, and you don't even care! Geez, you are a pain in the ass." He looked up at her and glared, but she cut him off as he opened his mouth to reply. "I even saved up extra money to buy a nice box and have them arranged all fancy, and now it's ruined because I had to fight off a mugger–" She was cut off by the sound of Mugen choking. He managed to swallow the dumpling, then gave her a piercing look.

"You were mugged?" he asked, a dangerous undertone to his voice. Fuu nodded and reached over to grab the broken umbrella and held it out to show him.

"Yeah, I broke my umbrella trying to beat him off," she said, smiling at how ridiculous it sounded. The comic element was lost on Mugen, though. The look on his face meant that someone was about to lose a limb, or possibly their life. Fuu's smile faded rapidly as he stood and grabbed his sword from where it was leaning against the wall. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed his arm as he made toward the door.

"Hold on a second!" She planted her feet, frowning at him when he looked at her over his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"To teach that bastard a lesson," he ground out. Fuu's grip tightened on his arm.

"No, you're not," she said, the determined edge in her voice making Mugen scowl at her. He turned around and leaned towards her, using his height to his advantage.

"Yeah, I am, girlie," he said, his voice lower and more intense. "It's been years since the last time you were kidnapped, and the one time I'm not with you some asshole tries to do away with you!"

Fuu gave a weary sigh. "Mugen, you can't always be there to protect me! I thought that's why you started teaching me how to defend myself in the first place!" She let go of him and crossed her arms. "I thought you'd be proud of me."

Mugen's fists clenched, his knuckles almost turning white. Of course he wanted her to know how to defend herself! And he _was_ proud of her for beating up a mugger, though now that he thought about it the asswipe probably wasn't much of a thug if he was taken down by a young woman with an _umbrella_…

Still, he knew he wouldn't always be there to protect her, but that didn't mean he couldn't damn well try.

"You got yourself away from him," he admitted. "But I'm still gonna beat the hell outta the bastard." Fuu moved quickly around him to block the door, flinging out her arms and raising her chin in defiance.

"No, you're not," she repeated.

"Why the hell not?" he demanded.

"Because you're making a huge deal out of nothing!" He stepped closer, fury etched on his angular face.

"It's not nothing if he fucked up something important to you!"

Fuu froze, staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Mugen shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and realized the implications of what he had just said, what they'd been skirting around for so long.

"Important to me?" Fuu's voice was almost a whisper. Mugen looked away from her gaze and scratched his bushy head.

"Yeah," he mumbled. Fuu took a step forward, still staring at him, and Mugen's arm flew back down to his side as he stiffened. Her eyes took on a glassy shine for a moment before she shook her head and gave him a small smile.

"Oh, Mugen." The way she said his name, a sort of fond sigh, sent a small shiver down his spine. His throat was suddenly dry, and he swallowed. Her eyes reflected the light from the lamp hanging on the wall, and there was a light blush on her cheeks. She blinked, and Mugen realized he had started leaning closer to her. He quickly straightened and awkwardly looked away. She put up a sleeve to cover her mouth.

"I've never seen you so flustered before," she said, the laughter in her voice evident. He threw her a dirty look, which only made her laugh harder.

"Quit laughin'!" The annoyed expression on his face was too funny for Fuu, but she only let a few more giggles escape before calming down.

"You're always looking for a fight, aren't you?" she said, more amused than angry now. Mugen shrugged, and the problem of the would-be mugger was forgotten as swiftly as it had arisen.

"If I'm not fighting someone on the street," he said, "I always have you to fight with."

"We do fight a lot, don't we," Fuu said reflectively. "Only over dumb stuff, though, which is good I guess. If we ever had a _real_ fight you couldn't use your sword, just to make it fairer for me." She laughed at the idea of her hypothetically fighting Mugen, who was just as dangerous with only his bare hands. Mugen smirked and poked her in the chest with the pommel of his sword.

"Ain't no way I'm givin' up my sword in a fight," he said. "You'd just have to take your chances with that dinky little knife of yours, girlie." Fuu rolled her eyes, but what he'd said gave her pause for thought. She looked at a spot above his left shoulder as the memory surfaced, long buried because of the pain it held.

"You gave up your sword for _me_," she said softly. She shifted her gaze to his stony expression, the corners of his mouth turned down.

"That was different." His voice was low and cold. Fuu shivered and brought her hands up to cradle her elbows.

"I still have nightmares about what he could've done to you when you didn't have your sword." Mugen went rigid at this, but she didn't notice. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why did you do it?"

All these years and she'd never asked him why he'd come back for her that day. He'd wondered if she ever would ask.

Mugen looked away, then moved away from her to lean against the windowsill, propping his sword against the wall underneath it and looking out at the rain that was still pouring down. The light was steadily fading, and a wet gloom settled over the street down below.

"Those bastards were taking out their revenge for me on you," he said, his voice still low, but there was a darker emotion behind it. "I couldn't let them make you pay for something stupid _I_ did before I even knew you." He glanced at her. She was staring at him with wide eyes. There was silence for a brief moment.

"The one – Umanosuke – might've made me pay for it before you even got there," she said slowly.

Mugen whipped around to face her full-on. "What?" he asked harshly.

Fuu had promised herself a long time ago that she would never let Mugen know the circumstances of her kidnapping that day, but now there was no point in keeping it secret anymore. She grimaced and her stomach roiled with revulsion at the memory.

"When he first found me he…he started…_groping_ me and I was so scared and you and Jin were gone and…then he knocked me out and I don't know if he did anything to me before I woke up." She was startled when Mugen strode across the room and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Why the _fuck_ didn't you say anything back then?!" he almost shouted at her. She looked up at his furious face, imploring.

"Because I wasn't completely sure!" she said, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "And you were…Mugen, you and Jin were hurt so badly when it was all over so it didn't matter by then!" The tears began to spill down her cheeks. "You were hurt…I couldn't–" Her voice caught in her throat.

Mugen's grip on her shoulders was tight, but when she leaned forward to rest her head on his chest as the sobs overcame her he let go. She gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly. Mugen's hands hovered in the air behind her, not sure where to put them. After a moment he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, not tightly, but firmly, steadying her.

They stood there for a long time while Fuu cried. She shed all the tears she couldn't have while she had been taking care of Mugen and Jin all that time ago, when they lay battered and bleeding and only just clinging to life. She hadn't cried then, she'd had to be alert constantly in case either of them took a turn for the worse. When they had recovered, and she had decided it was time to part ways for good, she hadn't shed a single tear, though it felt like her heart had been breaking into three pieces, and two of them had chosen paths different from hers and had gone on their way.

Except one piece of her broken heart had made its way back to her, the piece that was just a bit bigger than the one Jin carried, she had to admit. They'd traveled more, just the two of them, bickering and laughing and getting on each other's nerves like old times, and she'd pushed down the memory of those last few weeks because it was easier to forget.

By the time her tears had reduced to sniffles Mugen had put his chin on her head, his thumbs rubbing circles on her upper arms. A shaky sigh left her and she pulled away, rubbing her face with her sleeves, her eyes red and puffy. Mugen let her leave his hold, but kept his hands on her hips.

"Sorry," she mumbled, sniffing. Mugen stared at her, his face unreadable, and Fuu fidgeted under his gaze. He lifted a hand to hold her chin.

"Why do you gotta get all weepy on me, girlie?" he asked, one corner of his mouth quirking up. Fuu laughed a breathy laugh.

"I dunno," she said. "Why do you have to make me cry?" Mugen scowled.

"I didn't–" Fuu cut off his protest by placing her hand over his mouth and smiling at him.

"I'm just kidding, Mugen," she said. She moved her hand to his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat underneath her fingertips. She spread her fingers across the red fabric, and Mugen's pulse raced a little faster.

She didn't meet his eyes, staring at her hand on his chest. Fuu sucked in a breath before saying, "I know I have no right to ask you for this, but if you have to leave me –" she paused, her eyebrows pinching in concern, "– don't put yourself in a situation where you come to that brink again and I'm not there to help you." She raised her eyes to his, and he looked surprised at her request.

"Why are you assumin' that I'm gonna leave you?" he asked, slightly offended and confused. Fuu bit her lip.

"I'm not assuming anything, Mugen," she said carefully, "but if something happened and we had to split up…please just promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

Mugen looked at the girl in his arms while he considered what she was asking. To be honest, he thought it was a pretty stupid promise to make, since he had no intention of leaving her anytime soon. And he'd been taking care of himself on his own long before he ever met her and he'd been alright, more or less.

As Fuu gazed up at him waiting for him to reply her other hand settled on his chest, the warmth seeping through the fabric to his skin. He thought about all the times those hands had tied his bandages and hovered over his wounds, and the one or two occasions he had felt them running through his hair after waking from a nightmare. Another reason why he wasn't about to leave. Mugen gave a half-hearted sigh.

"If I say yes will ya quit starin' at me like that?" Fuu rolled her eyes and smiled, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said, sincerity in her voice. Mugen gave a non-commital shrug.

"Whatever gives you peace of mind, girlie," he said. Fuu chuckled.

"I don't think I'll ever have peace of mind, not after all those times you've run off chasing some woman or joining a yakuza gang," said Fuu, more joking than serious. Mugen bristled at that, his lower lip jutting out in a pout.

"Hey," he grumbled, "at least I always came back."

Fuu thought about that statement, realizing he was right. Whenever she was in trouble, it had always been _Mugen_ who'd come for her, not Jin. Sure, Jin had known how to comfort her when she was upset, and she considered him a dear friend. But she couldn't recall him ever fighting tooth and nail to get to her like Mugen had, and Mugen had almost _died_ on several occasions because of her. The thought made her chest ache painfully. She looked at Mugen, really _looked_ at him, his tan face and scruffy chin and jagged eyebrows, at his stormy eyes and wild hair and blue earrings that she'd always wondered about but never asked. There were a lot of things she'd never asked him.

"Yes," she said, her voice soft. "You did."

Mugen felt his heart speed up at the way Fuu was looking at him. He stood rigid as she rose on her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, her hair brushing his face briefly. His hands gripped her hips just a little bit tighter and pulled her closer.

* * *

"If I'd known we were gonna do _that_ I would've reminded you about the dumplings sooner," said Mugen, in the quiet of the early morning.

Fuu rolled over to look at the shit-eating grin on Mugen's face, which wasn't terrible to see first thing in the morning. Even though he could stand to brush them more often, he had surprisingly straight white teeth. Fuu rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows, chin in hand, and took in the rest of him in the clear morning light. The rain had stopped sometime in the night, but neither had noticed because things were more interesting inside.

Mugen's eyes raked over the exposed skin of Fuu's back, the intensity of his gaze making her blush.

"Got some serious bed-head there," he said, pointing to her hair. Fuu folded her arms and laid her head on them.

"Whose fault is that?" she asked, one eyebrow raising. Mugen chuckled, rolling over and mirroring her position.

"I'm taking all the credit for that," he said, the pride in his voice very obvious. Fuu raised an eyebrow at the mass of hair on his head, which was even wilder than her own.

"If you think I have bad bed-head, you should see yours," she said, giggling. Mugen ran a hand through his hair and smirked.

"And whose fault is that?" he repeated her question. Fuu scooted closer, staring at his lips with hooded eyes.

"Mmm," she hummed, "that would be me." She brushed her lips over his and moved the rest of her body closer. They both shifted so they were on their sides, Mugen's hands coming to rest on her backside and Fuu's hands cradling his face. Fuu pulled away before the heat surging through her became too intense. Mugen's grey eyes were hazy with lust. Fuu tapped his chin with a pale finger.

"Later," she said. "let's just…lay here for a while. Okay?" Mugen pouted, but after a moment nodded and tucked her head against his bare chest. Fuu let out a soft sigh.

"You know," she said, "I'm still mad that bastard mugger messed up your dumplings."

"I ate them, didn't I?" One corner of his mouth tilted up, though Fuu couldn't see it. "Let's cut out the fancy shit and go to a cheap stand by the roadside every year instead, huh?"

Fuu smiled even as she felt butterflies in her stomach. Without realizing – or maybe he did realize – Mugen had just promised her quite a few more years of his life, if she'd gotten the numbers right. And he seemed, if not happy, then content with what that implied.

"Hey," she said. "I just thought of something."

"What?"

"Remember last night you said you always came back after running off? What about that time at the Hakone check point?"

"Hey that wasn't my fault, it was the warrior priests' plant or whatever that caught on fire and it fucked with my brain or somethin'."

"I know _that_. Jin and I found you sitting in the middle of the forest giggling your ass off with a bunch of priests."

"Whatever that shit was, it made me think I could fly…"

_15/100_


End file.
